


Our Child Who We'll Always Love and Cherish

by tigercry



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Human Yui, I suck at tags O-o, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, plays with the heartstrings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigercry/pseuds/tigercry
Summary: Yui's human life is saved at the hands of a gentle hacker, ejecting the small child from SAO where she would be safe and loved till they made their way back to her. After all, till her mother wakes up she's all Kirito's heart-broken soul has to keep him going.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	Our Child Who We'll Always Love and Cherish

**Author's Note:**

> Argo's missing her accent here, this piece is old enough that I still had her accent be very light almost unnoticable.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Yui cried and reached for her parents even as cardinal's light caused her avatar to glow a soft gold.

"Hurry up!" Kirito glanced nervously at the hooded player next to him and Asuna, "hack it faster!"

Asuna ran to Yui and cradled the young child to her body, "it's okay Yui!" She tried to comfort her through the tears threatening to fall from her shining amber eyes. There wasn't much she could do but comfort Yui through the whole process. Cardinal was trying to delete her player data without her dying in the game, but unless someone managed to change it so that the system was just rejecting her and pulling from the game, the nerve gear would fry her brain.

"Mommy!" Yui sobbed into Asuna's shirt, "Mommy I don't wanna die!"  
Yui's words made Asuna's tears sting harshly at her eyes and the caramel haired girl held her closer, cradling her in a mother's embrace. "Ssshh, you're not going to die Yui," she soothed the little girl despite the tears now dripping down her face. "You're going back to the real world, back home."

"This is my home!" Yui clung to Asuna as she turned rather transparent, "Mommy! Daddy! I want to stay with you forever!"

Kirito took one of his daughter's hands and held them between his own trembling ones. Yet his eyes and voice were steady. "We'll come find you Yui," he reassured the young child and held her small hand to his lips in an affectionate and rather fatherly way. "I promise that we'll escape this game and come to find you."

"I don't wanna go!" Yui sobbed and vigorously shook her head and buried her head deeper into Asuna's neck and shoulder. "I wanna stay here with you!"

Asuna sat down on the edge of the system console and cuddled Yui close, gently stroking her long hair and managing to hum the BGM of their home, a tune Yui was familiar with. "Sssh, it's okay," Asuna murmured softly, holding herself together despite how she felt like she was breaking at the seams. "It's okay…"

Yui grew more transparent, but the gold had faded, meaning this was the tipping point, had the hacker done it?

Kirito knelt in front of Asuna and Yui and gently kissed his daughter on the forehead. "You're our child Yui," he said softly, "we _will_ find you. Can you be strong and cheer us on till we wake up and join you?"

Yui's eyes welled with more tears but she nodded quietly, still tucked safely in Asuna's arms. "Okay, Daddy…"

Kirito smiled gently at his young daughter even as she faded even further, almost invisible now, "wake up in the real world Yui, we'll see you soon."

"We promise," Asuna murmured softly, she couldn't feel Yui's weight anymore, nor the texture of her soft long hair, but she kept repeating her actions, comforting Yui till the end.

The hacker at the other side of the terminal pressed a final key and Yui completely disappeared before the hacker was thrown across the room to hit the back wall rather painfully.

_Crash!_

Kirito focused on the hacker a silent question in his eyes as Asuna started to tremble and sobs began to wrack her body.

The hacker stood up and dipped their head to Kirito before they quietly walked over and dropped an object into Kirito's waiting hands. "This is her avatar data. Yui is now offline and disconnected from the nerve gear. The game rejected her as a hacker instead of deleting her data." The hooded hacker's voice was flat and didn't change throughout the entire sentence. "Your daughter is awake in the real world." She tapped the item held in Kirito's hands and a holographic sphere popped up.

The camera seemed to be moving, but they could see Yui, awake and staring at the camera.

"I told her that her Nervegear functions as a camera. So if she wanted you to be able to see her to just put her Nervegear insight and you can see and hear her." The hacker said and tapped the item again to shut it off. "The item is called Yui's heart because you carry her in your hearts everywhere you go. However, do not think Yui's dead. She's out there, waiting for us all to end the game."

Kirito looked at the hooded hacker and nodded, "thank you AI." He said, using one of the hacker's nicknames. Nobody knew her real name and even her face, programmed to have her hood always hiding her face. In fact, the only reason Kirito even knew about her was Argo. Argo had come running over when they had found out about the reason behind Yui's glowing and insisted they let the hacker try and change the outcome. "We owe you."

The hacker was quiet, "nobody owes me anything." She said simply before she gave a sigh, "alright, swear you'll beat the game and ask Argo about a name."

"Okay, what name?" Kirito asked as he gently tugged Asuna's into his arms, shaking from relief while Asuna was torn up about their daughter being gone.

"Caylee, the hacker." With that the hacker disappeared, shimmering like she had used the system to teleport without a crystal.

Kirito's shoulders sagged and he held Asuna close, "she's alright, Yui's okay…"

Asuna sniffled, "it hurts," she managed to say clearly through her tears, "I feel like I lost her…"

Kirito held her closer, "because in a way we did. We lost her here and kept her safe by pulling her out. She's in the real world now."  
Asuna sniffled, "we have to beat the game," she said thickly, "and get back to Yui."

 _And Sugu, Midori, and Asuna's family._ _We have to clear this for our families, we have to._

Kirito, still numb from actually waking up in the real world a week ago, sat there and mainly just stared at the opposing wall. He had been told yesterday that Asuna was alive, but that she hadn't woken up yet. Along with three-hundred other players. He was beyond relieved that Asuna was alive, but at the same time, he wanted to break down and cry again and again. He didn't want to be here in the real world without Asuna. Without his SAO wife, easily the girl of his life, and someone who had saved his life over and over again in SAO. Asuna was his better half, and without her, he felt broken and lost, they were supposed to be together after SAO, forever.

_I love you so much Kirito…_

Kirito's eyes widened and welled with tears as the words filtered through his mind again for the fifth time that day. Asuna's words just before they escaped the game still rang in his ears periodically, her beautiful voice and tender words spoken softly in his ear. Those two years with her and in SAO was something he would hold close to him forever, even if Asuna never woke up.

"Kirito, I have someone who wants to see you," Liz's voice pulled Kirito from his thoughts and he jumped in surprise. Only to feel Liz playfully ruffle his newly cut hair and notice that she was sitting on the edge of his bed with a nurse nearby making sure the girl wasn't going to hurt herself. "I promise you'll want to see this one."

Kirito blinked back the tears and turned to look at Liz, unable to hide the rather depressed expression he had on his face. Liz and a few others were in the same hospital as Kirito, and even though it had only been a week since they all had been released, Kirito had seen more than a few familiar faces. Liz had been there with him and his family when the news about Asuna and the three-hundred players had been spread, so she had been Kirito's support system along with a few other players like Agil and Argo. "I'm not in the mood for visitors Liz," his voice was rough and tired, broken like he had lost the center of his world and couldn't ever get it back.

Liz's encouraging smile wasn't forced today, and the weak girl lightly patted his shoulder. "Trust me Kirito. I may be annoying to you for making you not be a hermit crab, but you trust me right?"

Kirito sighed and slouched back against his pillows, "do what you want," he sighed and looked up at the ceiling in a tired manner. "I don't really care." He then flinched at the weak smack to the shoulder and looked at her, irritation now in his eyes, "what was that for?!"

Liz frowned at him, "will you stop being depressed for all of ten seconds and meet your visitor?"

Kirito scowled and looked at the door, "fine, then will you leave me alone?"

Liz nodded slightly and leaned her shoulder against the headboard, getting rather tired. "Argo, bring her in."

The door pushed open with a soft creak and Argo, being wheeled in a wheelchair by a dark brown curly haired girl, entered the room. Argo looked tired but excited and had a rather familiar little girl sitting on her lap. The Rat was wearing a typical hospital shirt and pants with her curly blonde hair getting in her face and had a tired but excited smirk on her face. "My info broker days ain't over yet Kii-boi. Look who I found-"

"I found her-" The curly brown haired girl huffed half indignantly but let Argo continue.

Argo waved her off, "technical details. Look who _we_ found Kiri-boi."

The little girl sitting on Argo's lap hopped to her feet and scrambled toward the bed, silver eyes twinkling. Her black hair was long, with two thin tresses tumbling down the front of her shoulders, straight bangs, and straight long hair that looked almost identical to Asuna's. She looked healthy and beyond happy at that moment. She still looked almost like a bridge between Kirito and Asuna, with Asuna's gentle features and perfectly almond shaped eyes, Kirito's lanky proportions, nose, and hair color, and a softened brighter color of Kirito's eyes. She looked like she had been waiting for this day to come for at least two weeks. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Kirito's eyes widened and his arms shot out to weakly pull the girl into his arms, "Yui!" Kirito's broken world expanded to take in his SAO daughter.

The little girl he and Asuna had saved, temporarily given to a player watching over all of the children in the game, and brought home with them once they had actually gotten together. Yui had been the person that had kept Kirito going after he and Asuna split up so that Asuna could lead in the KoB, Yui was so important and precious to both him and Asuna. Even before he and Asuna had been together as a couple and had been just friends Yui had brought them together more and more. Kirito could say that Yui was one of the main reasons he and Asuna had really gotten to know each other. They had visited the girl together all the time in the first year and a half and had taken her around town in the Town of New Beginnings. It was even her calling them 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' that eventually made Asuna reveal to Yui and him by eavesdropping that she did have feelings for Kirito. The bond between him and Asuna had been sensed first by this young girl who by now was practically their daughter.

Kirito cuddled Yui close with all of the strength he could muster with his weakened state. "You're safe," he muttered and hugged his young daughter, "the hack worked!"

Yui giggled in her father's arms and nestled her head into her father's thin chest, "daddy! I missed you! I missed you so much!" She then moved back a little and looked at her father in concern at feeling a few tears dripping onto her head from Kirito. "Daddy… Why're you crying?" She turned a little to look around for someone, "where's Mommy?"

Kirito's throat closed up and he let Yui go to brush the tears from his face, onyx-colored eyes rather broken and miserable. "Asuna…" He changed the name her referred Asuna as, changing it so that it was more oriented toward Yui. "When I cleared the game Mommy didn't wake up," he said in a rather hoarse tone, "Mommy's still sleeping Yui. Trapped somewhere in her Nervegear, like SAO."

Yui's eyes widened, "mommy's still trapped? Oh, Daddy!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, "Daddy, I'm so sorry!" tears glistened in Yui's eyes and fell in Kirito's shirt. "It's not fair for you and Mommy!"

Kirito held his daughter close, his throat closing up from his emotions. "At least you're here," he spoke in a hoarse voice, "at least you're awake and safe. Asuna will wake up soon," he tried to convince himself of his words, "she will, you'll see."

"She has to!" Yui cried and hugged Kirito harder, "Mommy wouldn't leave us!"

_I love you so much…_

Asuna's last words rang in Kirito's ears once again and his shut his eyes against the tears pricking at his eyes, "you're right Yui, Asuna will wake up," his voice broke, "she has to…"

* * *

"Daddy!" Kirito barely had time to set down his coffee cup before Yui crashed headlong into him and hugged her SAO father like a koala bear. Kirito stumbled, still regaining his strength from physical therapy and rehab, but he did catch her and smile tiredly at her. He had been at the hospital all night long pacing Asuna's hospital room and waiting for a different visitor. By now it was almost ten in the morning, and Yui had come to finally visit Asuna with Kirito. It had been a long battle getting the orphanage Yui was at, her parents had died in a car crash during the time she was in SAO, to let Kirito take Yui to the hospital to see Asuna. Even then it was like pulling teeth to even get them to let him and Sugu take Yui around Tokyo and having her over at Sugu and Kirito's was a no-no for them.

A rather grumpy looking man was standing nearby with Yui's backpack and jacket, looking like he would rather be anywhere but there at that moment.

Kirito tried to ignore him and instead looked at his daughter with a smile. "Hey Yui," his voice was rough from disuse, "you excited to see mommy again?"

Yui nodded into his shirt and looked up at him with a big smile, "is Mommy as pretty in the game as she is here?"

Krito's smile was fond as he nodded, "Asuna's even more beautiful here in the real world Yui, and you still look just like her," he lightly tapped her nose, "you definitely have her nose and pretty eyes."

Yui's silver eyes gleamed happily and she hugged him tightly and giggled, "Mommy always said that you're a sweet talker, what does that mean?"

Kirito chuckled at the reminder that Asuna would say that whenever she was trying to stay mad at him but couldn't. It was a little painfully sad, but it was a good memory. "It means I can compliment Mommy and say stuff to her, and because of that she can't stay mad at me even if she wants to," he explained, "and so she complains about it."

"But Mommy shouldn't be mad at you!" Yui giggled, knowing exactly how often Asuna had lightly punched him for making her annoyed or embarrassed, "she loves you!"

Kirito smiled and gently set Yui down and crouched down to her level with a rather cheeky and secretive grin. "If she didn't get mad at me for the stupid things I do, then I think I have a love skill or something," he teased in a mock whisper, "what do you think?"

Yui covered her mouth with her hands and giggled while she nodded in agreement.

"Alright you two, let's stop discussing secrets and get this other with," a person walked through the hospital lobby doors. With blue-rimmed glasses, chocolate brown eyes, brown curly hair, and a slight limp, Kirito knew who it was. It was the hacker who had helped him get Yui out of the game and had helped Argo find Yui in the real world. Today though she seemed remarkably lazy and had a stride that was brisk and at the same time very direct. She took Yui's backpack and jacket from the grumpy man, walked past him, and even past Kirito without even a glance behind her.

Kirito rolled his eyes, "what're you in such a hurry for Caylee?" He asked as he followed the hacker after he picked up Yui and lengthened his stride to match hers. For a girl with her height, she moved remarkably fast.

"Unlike you, I actually have plans outside of here and rehab," Caylee stated briskly, "and I don't appreciate having Argo hack my phone and sing the Aincrad anthem at the top of her lungs to wake me up at eight in the morning," she deadpanned and Kirito had to stifle a snort of laughter.

It made sense that Argo teased her friend with a prank like that, they had apparently known each other since they were young kids, so with Argo's mischievous nature, pranking was right up her alley. But with the Aincrad Anthem? Of all things, she had to sing the fifteen-minute-long song? "The whole thing?"

"The whole thing," Caylee echoed and pressed the button for the elevator, "and she didn't even tell me all of the details. Do you want to tell me how I'm supposed to inconspicuously hack something I don't even know what I'm supposed to be hacking?"

Yui was giggling behind her hands at Caylee's words and phrase and Kirito smiled before he nodded and pulled a slim game case from his coat pocket. "I need you to locate a certain player handle within this game."

Caylee took the case and looked at the name, scrutinizing the game.

Kirito hastened to pronounce the name for her, having learned that it was hard to say. "It's pronounced-"

"ALHeim," Caylee cut him off and looked up at his surprised expression. "I started the game to check for any kinds of player log out things like SAO." At Kirito's raised eyebrow she continued, "There are too many people accessing a system console, but beyond that, it's perfectly safe and normal… Wait, you think Asuna's trapped in the game?"

Kirito nodded and put Yui down so he could hold her hand and lead the way once the elevator stopped. "I saw a picture of an avatar that's perfectly identical to hers. That's why I called you and Argo, I need help finding out if she's really there."  
Caylee breathed a heavy sigh, but she nodded, "I'll try, maybe I can try and temporarily eject her from the game. If she's in that game Kirito," her eyes turned rather dark and serious, "I have no idea how to get her out of there. Even I can't fight the codes written by this GM and the creator from here. This guy's good like he has a team of people purely focused on keeping hackers out of the game."

With that, the elevator dinged.

Kirito looked down at his SAO daughter, "you ready to see Asuna Yui?" He forced out through the lump in his throat. How was he going to get Asuna out now? WIth the info that Caylee just told him, even if Asuna was there, how would he get to her?

As Yui started moving forward, Kirito felt Caylee breathe in his ear, "I never said I couldn't go _inside_ and try there…"

With that, the hacker strode ahead of him and Yui toward the impatient looking Argo standing at the door.

Kirito got it and his eyes widened before his gaze shot to Caylee who was now discreetly glancing to her left at a small camera. _How?_ Was the only thing he could think of as he led Yui toward Asuna's room. Did Argo know too? That there was some kind of bug or something in that camera? He looked down at Yui and smiled gently at her, "let's go see mama," he said and led the way to the door and swiped the card.

"Mommy!" Yui gasped and tugged free of his grasp the moment the door was open, "Mommy!"

Kirito watched his daughter run to the hospital bed and scramble to be sitting next to Asuna near her head, _Asuna… Please wake up…_

* * *

Caylee was rambling when Kirito picked up the phone, the hacker was rambling some kind of nonsense that he didn't understand. However, he did understand a few words, Asuna, free, and hospital. "You mean…" His voice was hoarse as he spoke, looking at his Nervegear with trembling hands while Sugu held his phone so that they could see Caylee who was at the hospital already working on hacking the game and copying the data. After Asuna had managed to tell them vaguely about experiments when Caylee pulled her temporarily from the game, Caylee had started siphoning data inconspicuously until today. Now she was just draining their servers and compacting the data as much as she could.

Caylee silently lifted her phone toward the hospital bed where Asuna had her eyes open. She hadn't moved yet, but she had opened her eyes and Caylee had removed her Nervegear.

"I'm on my way," Kirito said hastily and scrambled to his feet, "did you tell Argo and Yui?"

Caylee nodded, "Argo's already on her way with Yui-"

"Tell them to stop outside the parking lot!" Kirito interrupted abruptly, his onyx colored eyes widening at something struck him. "Someone could be waiting for me in the parking lot!"

Caylee's eyes widened as well and then narrowed dangerously, "I'll finish the data swipe and come down if you need my help. Don't play hero Kirito, we both know what Sugou can do to you."

Yui gave a frightened scream and scrambled toward Argo in fear at the shining metal gun Sugou was holding.

Argo stood stiff, unable to move, her brown eyes locked fearfully on the weapon in Sugou's hands.

Kirito struggled to get up, blood making his shirt stick to his injured body. The stab wound in his thigh screamed in protest, but he had to get up, to protect Yui. He just got Asuna back, there was no way in the world he was going to lose anyone else in his small ring of friends and family. "Yui!" He pushed himself up to his feet, swaying dangerously and tried to take a step forward only to slip and fall forward, "no!"

The faint sound of footsteps got much louder and Kirito felt someone jump over him before they ran toward Yui and Argo.

Kirito wanted to cry, for a few moments it was like Asuna darting in front of Heathcliff to save him and he wanted to cry at the result of that moment. Especially when he heard the gunshot and Yui's scream.

Only to see Yui and Argo fall hard onto the ground and an agonized cry that made Argo white in the face and Kirito breathe in relief. It wasn't Asuna, and they weren't dead… He stared at the girl who had come out of nowhere, now vaguely remembering what she had said earlier.

Standing in front of Yui and Argo in a staggered position was the hacker, now gripping her right shoulder where blood was beginning to make her coat a crimson red and was trickling down her sleeve like Kirito's knife wound in his upper arm. Her brown eyes were dark and narrowed into slits from pain and fury, and the hacker looked murderous.

"Argo, get Yui and Kirito," Caylee spoke to her friend without looking at her. "I can handle Sugou," with that the teenager managed to perform a rather shaky roundhouse kick straight at Sugou's hand. "You're finally going to get what you deserve Sugou!"

Caylee's arms shook but she held Sugou's head up with the blade of the knife held firmly against his throat. "I will take this burden from Kirito," she told the man in a low hiss, her breath washing over his ear. "And from anyone else who will _ever_ have to deal with you again."

"N-no, p-please!" Sugou gasped out, trembling from the girl's words.

"You think this is any different than having to kill PKers in SAO?" Caylee hissed and let the knife dig further into his throat, "especially after what you did to Asuna? You deserve to die!"

"Caylee…" Kirito's croaky voice came from where he was now lying on the parking lot ground with a trembling Yui in his arms, being propped up by Argo who had her hands over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut. "You can't… We need proof…"

"I have proof!" Caylee snarled back, "I have enough proof to put his man in jail till the day he dies!" She flicked Sugou's neck with her other hand and pulled the knife away just enough for it to be not touching his skin, making him jolt in fear. "You hear me? If I don't kill you now, someone in that jail will, and you don't deserve even that kind of attention! You know who criminal hate the most?" She hissed in Sugou's ear, "even worse than murders and killers? Criminals despise those who take advantage of a young girl, and that's what you did, didn't you?" When Sugou said nothing, Caylee shook him harshly, "didn't you?!"

Sugou faintly nodded, cringing when Caylee flicked him again, flicking a specific spot.

"Good," Caylee hissed in his ear before she used the flat side of the knife blade as a blunt object against his temple to knock him out. "You can look Argo," Caylee said coolly and strode toward them, throwing the knife near Sugou's back and pinning his coat to the ground, "he's just knocked out."

Argo peeked out from between her fingers and gave a heavy sigh of relief, "thank Aincrad. I really thought you were going to kill him Caylee," she said in a shaky tone.

Caylee's eyes were dark and rather haunted and dangerous when she next spoke, "I would have again, but Yui's here and Kirito told me not to."

Kirito looked exhaustedly at her and nodded a thank you before he heaved himself unsteadily to his feet. "Let's go get to Asuna," he spoke in a half-mumble, his body was bloodied and beaten up, but he hadn't suffered from any major injuries. The worst injury was Caylee's, the bullet piercing her shoulder when she protected Yui and Argo.

Caylee nodded and followed after Kirito and Yui.

"We'll stay at the lobby," Argo said as she steadied Caylee who suddenly lurched and almost fell over, "You go to Asuna Kii-boi."

Kirito looked worriedly at the hacker, conflicted between going straight to Asuna and helping his friend.  
"Come on D-daddy!" Yui stuttered and clung to her father in a scared fashion, "M-mommy's a-awake now!"

"Take Yui to her," Caylee told Kirito and gave him a slight thumbs up, "she needs Asuna. Just like you."

Kirito hesitated some more, but saw the truth in her words and ran off into the build a little unsteadily with Yui in his arms.

Kirito's breathing was ragged and close to gasps as he ran up the several flights of stairs to get to Asuna's hospital room in his haste to make sure she was okay. That his wife in SAO and the girl of his life was alive and awake.

Yui was trembling in his arms, the young girl was likely traumatized but the whole Sugou thing, but she was also excited, shown by the way she was looking around for Asuna's room.

However, when he exited the stairwell, he saw a figure about his height and much thinner than she should be, leaning against one of the walls right next to Asuna's room. She was breathing hard and looked more exhausted than Kirito had ever seen, but it was her. It was Asuna. Her arms were shaking as she fought to hold herself upright, and she was muttering something under her breath, but it was Asuna.

"Asuna…" Kirito quickly set Yui down and rushed over to Asuna, managing to catch her just as her knees buckled. "You shouldn't be standing," he rambled even as he lifted her up into his arms and held her in trembling arms. She was so light, so thin and weak… Those last few months seemed to be more than her body could handle since he had seen the massive decline in her health with being trapped in SAO and now ALHeim for even longer than he had. She was lucky she hadn't hurt herself getting up to do whatever she had been trying to do. "You need to give your body time to heal-"

Asuna shakily put both of her hands on his face abruptly started crying, throwing her arms around his neck and pushing her head into his coat.

Kirito walked forward till he entered Asuna's hospital room and sat down on the hospital bed with a bump.

* * *

Yui jumped up on Asuna's bed and scrambled over to her sitting up SAO mother, "Mommy!" the child squealed happily at seeing Asuna looking much healthier and overall happy. It had been close to two months since Asuna had woken up, but this was one of the few times Yui had been able to come with Kirito to visit her. Not to mention that Kirito and his aunt had been scrambling around for weeks for reasons she didn't know. What she did know was that today Asuna was going with her, Kirito, Aunt Sugu, and Grandma Midori somewhere and that it was a surprise. She knew it was important since Midori had taken her yesterday to get a dress special for today, of which she was currently wearing, and because her father was currently helping her mother zip up the medium brown mid-calf length boots she was currently wearing. Outside of SAO Yui hadn't seen Asuna wear anything besides her hospital clothes so far, a plain white shirt and pants, so seeing Asuna in clothes that reminded her of SAO made her feel rather warm and fuzzy.

"Mommy you're so pretty!" She beamed an innocently happy smile at Asuna and leaned over and carefully gave her a hug. She didn't want to hurt her, she knew that her mommy was still rather weak and had been told by Kirito that no matter how much Asuna insisted a tight hug didn't hurt, it could hurt her without her knowing. So she paid extra attention to making sure she was hugging her very, very softly. "And it's all soft!" She giggled and nuzzled her cheek against the soft material of Asuna's pastel yellow soft cotton long sleeve shirt with a v-neckline.

Asuna's arms came around Yui's back and she hugged her daughter, the embrace wasn't very tight, likely because she was still regaining her strength in her arm, "you and daddy are going to drown me in compliments!" She playfully teased them both and gave Yui a motherly squeeze before she smiled softly at her daughter, "how're you today Yui? Kirito's been mean and kept you from me now hasn't he?"

Yui broke into giggles at the rather terrified look on her father's face and when he vigorously shook her head, "I'm happy cause we're all together!" She pushed her face a little more into Asuna's shirt, "and mommy's happy too! Even though daddy won't tell me what's going on!" She huffed in a sulky child-like fashion and snuggled up to Asuna, sitting partially on her lap.

Asuna laughed and Yui guessed her parents were looking at each other in amusement before Asuna ran her fingers through Yui's soft black hair, working out any remaining tangles in her long locks. "It's a secret," Asuna said rather cheekily before she leaned over and spoke in Yui's ear, "and I can't tell you or daddy may get flustered and disappointed."

"Hey! What're you two talking about over there?" Kirito asked a little suspiciously and released Asuna's leg before he stood up, a smile playing with his lips.

Yui giggled, "okay mommy!" She looked innocently at her father, "nothing daddy! It's a secret!"

At that, Asuna joined Yui's giggles and looked at Kirito, amber eyes twinkling softly. "Yeah Kirito, it's a _secret._ "

Kirito pouted, "oh so now I get to be ganged up on? How's that even fair?

Asuna lifted one arm and lightly grasped the sleeve of his coat and tugged, "it's fair because you didn't tell Yui what we're doing today dummy."

Yui's eyes twinkled at the rather loving look in her parents' eyes as Asuna playfully teased Kirito and so when Kirito was standing close enough and had leaned over with a grin, she threw an arm around each of her parents' necks and giggled, "I love you Mommy, daddy!"

"And we love you too Yui," her parents chorused in since before Yui pulled them a little closer and giggled harder.

Over top of Yui's head, Kirito and Asuna looked at the young child with mirroring soft expressions. Before Kirito leaned a little closer and brushed his lips over Asuna's temple, showing no signs of embarrassment when it was just the three of them. "My two girls," he spoke quietly, just loud enough for Asuna to hear him, "the two loves of my life."

Asuna's eyes closed at Kirito's lips brushed over her skin and she threaded her fingers through his, absentmindedly humming the BGM of floor twenty-two in Aincrad, a tune held dearly to all of their hearts.

The clearing of someone's throat and the opening of the door broke their peace even just temporarily, and Kirito glanced over at the intruder and rolled his eyes. "I could've sworn I told you to wait in the lobby Sugu," he said with a roll of his eyes and carefully removed Yui's arms from around his neck and unthreaded his and Asuna's fingers.

Sugu, or Aunt Sugu as Yui knew her as, put her hands on her hips and lightly shook her head, "not when it takes you close to ten minutes to get up here and get Asuna into the wheelchair and out of the room. I mean seriously Onii-chan, mom's been out there for close to fifteen minutes now!"

Kirito waited till Yui scooted off of Asuna's lap and slid one arm beneath Asuna's thighs, pinning her skirt against his arm in the process, before putting his other one behind her back and lifting her up, only a little shaky today. "I was helping Asuna with her shoes," he told his sister rather simply, "and Yui came and we lost track of time." He the carefully placed Asuna down in the wheelchair already prepared by him earlier, "it's not like we have a set time we have to be there by so why are you freaking out about it?" His attention was drawn immediately to Asuna when she flinched in pain and he carefully knelt and adjusted her position, easing the pain in her back and the tingling in her spine. "Better?"

"Much," Asuna smiled at him and pushed her long caramel colored hair off one shoulder to prevent the wheelchair from grabbing at her long hair. She was still beginning to get feeling down in her lower back, hips, and legs as her nerves recovered and slowly began to start working like they had close to three and a quarter years ago. She pushed her arms through the black jacket of Kirito's, that had been draped over the back so she could slip it on, while Kirito positioned her feet properly.

Yui watched her father carefully arrange Asuna's feet, noticing the faint melancholy in his actions at probably thinking about how he wanted to take the burden from her just like he had wanted to every time something happened in the game.

"Hey," Asuna leaned forward and touched Kirito's shoulder, "one day soon I'll be back to normal," she told him with a gentle and encouraging smile. She knew how hard it was for Kirito to see her like this, even though it was incredibly difficult for herself as well. "Just another few weeks and I'll be on my feet again."

"Yeah, daddy!" Yui stood behind Asuna's wheelchair, onyx-colored eyes twinkling happily from where she was grasping the handles of Asuna's wheelchair, "mommy will get better!"

Kirito stood up and smiled at his little family, "I know Yui, mommy's super strong, and she'll make it. Won't you Asuna?"

Asuna's lips twitched into a rather bright smile and the caramel haired girl smiled gently at both of them, making Yui giggle and skip to the front of her chair. Asuna leaned over and carefully pulled Yui up onto her lap, ignored the stink eye she was getting from Kirito at straining herself and hugged Yui. "Just you two wait, I'll be stronger than you Kirito, and then Yui and I'll tickle you till you can't breathe," she teased playfully and laughed at the look on Kirito's face.

Yui giggled, "yeah Mommy! But let's go!" Her voice went a little serious, "before Grandma gets angry…"

Kirito ruffled Yui's hair and moved to take control of Asuna's wheelchair after tossing a small blanket over one of his shoulders in case Asuna got cold. "She can't stay mad as long as you smile at her and apologize for us," he looked down at her with a cheeky smile, "will you do that for daddy?"

Yui thought about it for a moment before she beamed, "okay daddy!"

"Kirito!" Asuna lightly scolded him even as Kirito pushed her out of the hospital room, "don't teach Yui your bad habits!"

"Alright, alright," Kirito chuckled, "I won't teach Yui how to melt your heart and make it impossible for you to stay mad at her."

"Kirito!" Asuna complained, her cheeks now flushed pink along with her ears and part of her neck.

"What?" Kirito said intentionally obliviously and kept looking forward, pushing Asuna's wheelchair toward the car while she had Yui on her lap.

"You're unbelievable," Asuna sighed, but there was a smile playing on her lips, and she lightheartedly rolled her eyes.

Yui giggled some more and hugged Asuna, looking up at her and her father with a priceless and innocently happy smile.

"I know I am," Kirito responded playfully, "but you're just as bad hun."

Asuna's face pinkened further in a flustered blush at the pet name and she said nothing, a little tongue-tied. He hadn't said that to her outside of SAO just yet, and so she was struggling a little to come up with a response.

"You made her speechless daddy!" Yui giggled and laughed at her mother's next flustered response.  
"N-no he d-didn't!" Asuna retorted in a flustered fashion, "I was just thinking!"

"Thinking about what?" Kirito asked curiously, only to have Asuna blush further and to grin in a rather self-satisfied smirk. "Okay, I won't ask, I promise."

Asuna relaxed a little, looking down at Yui with a motherly smile, "you ready Yui?"

Yui looked up at her, innocent silver eyes gazing curiously at her, "for what Mommy?"

"For you to come home," Asuna smiled gently at her, "home with Kirito."

Yui's eyes widened and she hugged Asuna tightly while also being careful, tears welling in her eyes, "I stay with daddy?"

Asuna hugged her back with a smile, "you stay permanently with Kirito-"

"-Meaning I'm going to be there every morning," Kirito finished Asuna's sentence with a smile, "and every night to tuck you in just like we did in SAO."

Yui burst into happy tears and hid her face in Asuna's shirt, bawling while Kirito stopped and rested his hand on her head and Asuna rubbed her back, her amber eyes shining a little. "Mommy! Daddy!


End file.
